Beijing - North Korean leader Kim Jong II has disappeared in China. His luxurious special train which reportedly crossed the border into China Tuesday morning at Dandong was nowhere to be found Wednesday.

'We really would like to know where he is, but we simply don't have a clue,' said a South Korean military attache, who added he felt he was left in the lurch by his own intelligence services.

Although the train was seen travelling in the direction of Beijing by officials at two railway stations, Kim did not show up in the Chinese capital, sparking a torrent of speculation.

Some wondered whether Kim had only travelled through China on his way to Russia - a scenario 'almost ruled out' by one South Korean diplomat, given the fact that a direct rail connection exists between the North Korean capital Pyongyang and Moscow.

South Korean news agency Yonhap said it learned that the despotic North Korean leader had overcome his deep-rooted fear of flying and had flown to Shanghai, without explaining why his personal train would be travelling across China without him.

Comments

ITAR-TASS (which does actually have a bureau in Pyongyang from the bad old days) just reported that Kim has never left the city and that it could be a family member. The AP is also suggesting Guangzhou. I'm thinking it's one of his sons wanting to check out HK Disneyland.

I'm currently teaching in English in Zhuhai. I heard from the owner of my English school (the largest in Zhuhai) who is pretty well connected that Kim will be in Zhuhai later this week. Also, one of my students works for Gree Corporation which is the largest air conditioner manufacturer in China said that Kim will be visiting their Zhuhai factory either on Friday or Saturday.

In addition, he mentioned that security will be extraordinarily tight. Everyone will be searched before going to work and no cell phones will be allowed into the factory. I asked him how this compares to when a Chinese leader visits, and he said that when the Chinese Premier visited, it was "like any other day". So it sounds like Mr. Kim has some serious security concerns!